Canadian Rory MacDonald announced his retirement from mixed martial arts on Sunday.
• Also read: An honorable defeat for Charles Jourdain
After being knocked out of the Professional Fighters League semifinals against Dilano Taylor in the first round on Saturday, MacDonald confirmed in an Instagram post that he would be retiring the next day.
“I started doing this sport when I was 14 and I still remember my first day. I knew that was what I wanted to spend my life doing, MacDonald wrote.
“What an adventure my career has been with 17 years of professional fighting. I’ve learned a lot about myself during my journey and made some mistakes, but I’m a better person at 33 because of it.
The Quesnel, British Columbia-based athlete has had a glittering career, including a taste of beating big names like Nate Diaz and Tyron Woodley.
MacDonald, Georges Saint-Pierre’s training partner, also got his only world championship belt in 2018 after a duel against Douglas Lima.